Donald Trump open to debate Meghan Markle & Prince Harry, snubs 2024 Republican rivals

Former United States (US) President Donald Trump has expressed his readiness to engage in a debate, but it's not with his 2024 Republican primary opponents. Instead, Trump has extended the invitation to none other than Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

"I’d love to debate her ... I disagree so much with what they’re doing," Trump told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt during a recent interview, where the unconventional idea was brought up. The former president's unexpected willingness to engage in a verbal joust with the royal couple is making headlines.

While Trump seems enthusiastic about a potential showdown with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, he appears less inclined to participate in the upcoming Republican primary debates. Trump skipped the first GOP debate last month in Milwaukee, citing his substantial lead in the polls. He has also indicated that he may decline to attend a debate scheduled for September 27 in California, as well as another yet-to-be-scheduled event in Alabama.

Trump declines upcoming GOP Primary Debates, hints at General Election Face-off

During the interview, Trump did not dispute Hewitt's assertion that he was skipping the next debate at the Reagan Library, and he expressed little enthusiasm for another debate in the South. "I would love to go to anything involved with Alabama," Trump remarked, "but when you’re up 50 points...."

However, when it comes to the general election, Trump seems more open to the idea. He raised eyebrows by suggesting that his opponent might not necessarily be President Joe Biden. "I’ll certainly do the debate against the Democrat, whoever that may be," Donald Trump declared. "That, I feel you have an obligation to do."

The interview with Hugh Hewitt began on a "light subject," discussing the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Hewitt proposed that an audience akin to the 90 million viewers who watched King's victory could be achieved if Trump were to sit down with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Trump, a vocal critic of Markle

Notably, Trump has been a vocal critic of Meghan Markle over the years. In 2019, he referred to the Duchess of Sussex as 'nasty' in response to her threat to move to Canada. The following year, he stated that he was 'not a fan' of Markle and Harry after they got involved in the 2020 US election, urging Americans to 'reject hate speech'.

"I’m not a fan of Meghan," the former US president reiterated during an interview with Piers Morgan last year, going so far as to call Harry an 'embarrassment' to the monarchy. He expressed his disapproval of Markle's comments about the Royal Family and particularly the Queen.

Last month, Trump's absence at the first 2024 Republican presidential debate in Wisconsin drew attention, with the former president citing his substantial lead in the polls and characterizing the field of candidates as 'irrelevant'. As Trump contemplates debating royals but distances himself from GOP rivals, the political landscape continues to evolve in unexpected ways.